Tropical Storm Agatha was weak, but catastrophic brought widespread floods to much of Central America and was the deadliest tropical cyclone in the eastern Pacific since Hurricane Pauline in 1997.

It made landfall near the Guatemala-Mexico border on the evening of May 29. Agatha produced torrential rain all across Central America, which resulted in the death of one person in Nicaragua. In Guatemala, 108 people were killed and 53 left missing by landslides. 13 deaths also occurred in El Salvador. It soon dissipated over Guatemala.﻿

Two days before landfall, the Pacaya volcano, roughly 25 mi (40 km) south of Guatemala City, erupted on May 27, killing one person and forcing over 2,000 people to evacuate, and causing the temporary closing of the main international airport. Read More…

The Pacaya Volcano has erupted on Friday. The volcano is located 50 kilometers south of the capital of Guatemala, Guatemala City. Throughout the evening and night, volcanic ash has fallen in the municipalities of Amatitlán, Villa Nueva, and Guatemala City.

President Álvaro Colom’s government has decreed a State of Public Calamity in the Escuintla, Sacatepéquez and Guatemala departments, for 15 days or more, so the authorities can do their job correctly. The emergency response is being coordinated by the National Coordination for Disaster Reduction (CONRED).

The eruption was followed by several tremors. All flights in and out of Guatemala City’s La Aurora International Airport, have been suspended. The eruption has caused many casualties, among them the death of Aníbal Archila, NOTI7’s reporter, who was one of the first reporting the event.

Authorities in Jamaica say that gunfights in the capital Kingston have left at least 30 people dead, as hundreds of troops and police search for an alleged drug kingpin wanted by the US. At least 25 people were injured as well.

The violence has been triggered by the Jamaican government’s efforts to extradite Christopher “Dudus” Coke, the alleged leader of the “Shower Posse” group. Armed security forces stormed the Tivoli Gardens slum of western Kingston on Monday in an effort to locate Coke, who has not been found. Last week, Coke’s supporters barricaded the area in an attempt to thwart his arrest. Read More…

A state of emergency has been declared in Kingston, the capital of Jamaica, after gunmen beseiged and fired at police stations, injuring at least two police officers and a civilian, killing another man. Rioters have erected barricades in the city and one police station was set on fire when it was abandoned after officers ran out of ammunition.

The violence comes after the Jamaican authorities announced that they would extradite Christopher Dudus Coke, an alledged drug lord, to the United States on drugs and firearms charges.

However Coke is seen by members of the impoverished Tivoli Gardens neighbourhood as a “godfather” like figure, who fulfills roles that the government does not, and his supporters have vowed to protect him, one demonstrator stating “we are willing to die for Dudus,”. Read More…

USGS reported that an earthquake struck the Dominican Republic region with a magnitude of 8.0. It was registered on last Friday at 01:38:55 a.m. (05:38:55 UTC) at the epicenter, which was located 102 km from Higüey, La Altagracia, Dominican Republic.

However, it was later reported as a magnitude 3.4 earthquake by the Puerto Rico Seismic Network. The report caused attention on massive news media at the moment, until the USGS reported it was 3.2.

The depth of the aftershock was located 89.8 km (55.8 miles), and no damage or injuries were reported. It has been reported as a Haiti aftershock. Read More…

Cuba leases Guantánamo Bay to the United States “in perpetuity”. Guantanamo Bay Naval Base is located at the southeastern end of Cuba and has been used by the United States Navy for more than a century.

Aerial view of Guantánamo Bay

It is the oldest overseas U.S. Navy Base, and the only one in a country with which the United States does not have diplomatic relations.

The Cuban government opposes the presence of the naval base, claiming that the lease is invalid under international law. The US government claims that the lease is valid. Read More…

The European Union has announced that it will send a police force consisting of up to 350 officers to Haiti, following the recent magnitude 7.0 earthquake there, which is thought to have killed up to 200,000 people and left 1.5 million without homes.

“There is an agreement on a collective contribution of gendarmes,” said a European diplomat to the Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency.

Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, commented: “All the countries which form part of the European police force are willing to participate; France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Romania, are ready to offer personnel, each according to its capabilities. Together we will represent the EU in this role of guaranteeing the security and above all the arrival of the emergency aid which the Haitians’ need.” Read More…